Harold Dana Gregg (July 11, 1921 – May 13, 1991) was a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

in Major League Baseball who played for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

(1943–47),

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

(1948–50) and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

(1952). Gregg batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Anaheim, California. In a nine-season career, Gregg posted a 40–48 record with 401

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s and a 4.54 ERA in 827

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. In 1947 Gregg became an unlikely World Series figure. He had pitched very well in relief for Brooklyn, especially in the 4th game when Bill Bevens was hurling his 8 innings of no-hit ball only to lose in the 9th. Gregg relieved the starter in the 1st, got out of the jam with no runs, and pitched 7 innings holding the Yankees to 2 runs, working out of some more tough jams and keeping Brooklyn in the game. Since Brooklyn's manager had completely mishandled the pitching staff, continually using starters in relief, there was only Gregg ready to start game 7; Gregg thus joined some of the few but greatest pitchers in history who have started a World Series 7th game. Gregg, on two days' rest, lost, giving up 3 runs in 4 innings. He threw 12 innings in the series with 10 strikeouts including DiMaggio, who seldom struck out. He was a better than average hitting pitcher in his career, compiling a .205 batting average (54-for-263) with 26 runs, 2

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

and 15

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

. Gregg died in Bishop, California, aged 69.

Best season

*: 18

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, 34 starts, 13

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s, 139 strikeouts, 254 innings – all career-highs

Highlights

*Was the winning pitcher against the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

, 5–3, during the historic debut of

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

with the Brooklyn Dodgers (April 15, 1947) *Pitched a one-hit, 1–0 shutout against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

at Ebbets Field (April 22, 1947) *The 1947 World Series. He led all Brooklyn pitchers in innings pitched and strikeouts with a memorable 4th game: 7IP, 4H 1R.

References

External links

Baseball AlmanacHal Gregg Biography at Baseball Biography
: {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregg, Hall National League All-Stars Brooklyn Dodgers players New York Giants (NL) players Pittsburgh Pirates players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Anaheim, California 1921 births 1991 deaths Santa Barbara Saints players Olean Oilers players Washington Red Birds players Montreal Royals players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Indianapolis Indians players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players